Tuesday, November 20

Beach outside our condo on Hutchinson Island - Jensen Beach, FL

A few closing "factoids" about The Great Loop:
White Label travelled about 6,354 miles over 120 days on the water.  We passed through 152 locks,
 2 countries (U.S.A. & Canada),  2 provinces (Quebec & Ontario), 19 states (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware,  New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee,  Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama)
and more lakes & rivers than we could keep track of.  Including return trips to Iowa & Colorado, our sojourn took 232 days in total and more gas than you want to know.
The Great Loop was truly an experience of a lifetime.  We knew it would be both challenging and fun - it far exceeded our expectations.
In closing & taking liberty with the Jimmy Buffet song "Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes"  ......... "Reading the postings in White Label Sojourns reminds us of the places we've been.  Visions of good times that brought so much pleasure, makes us want to go back again.  But yesterday's over our shoulders, so we can't look back for too long.  There's just too much to see waiting in front of us and we known that we just can't go wrong .......... With these changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same - with all of our running and all of our cunning - if we couldn't laugh we just would go insane" ......  Being Loopers was a blast ................. what's next?

       

Monday, November 19

Crossing our wake & completing the Great Loop

Familiar cruising ground - Stuart, FL.

Caloosahatchee Canal

The Okeechobee Waterway is considered by many to be the dividing line between Central Florida and South Florida.  This is where you start to see greater changes in the climate and vegetation.  Opened in 1937, the Waterway offers a chance to see rural Florida.  The shores are dotted with sleepy
towns, ranches, marinas and homesites interspersed with moss-hung wilderness.  For the boater, the Okeechobee Waterway and Lake Okeechobee provide quite a contrast from the busy coastal passages.
Besides the tranquility of Florida's hearthand, it is also a tremendously efficient route from the west to east coast of Florida, the only alternative being the long trek down and around the Keys.  The Okeechobee Waterway is 154 statute miles from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.
It can be divided into three distinct sections:  1) Down the Caloosahatchee River and through the Caloosahatchee Canal to Clewiston  2) Lake Okeechobee 3) St. Lucie Canal to the South Fork of the St. Lucie River
The most direct route across Lake Okeechobee is an open-water 39 statute mile crossing, in 8 1/2 ft.
controlling depths.  The water level in Lake Okeechobee is higher than anywhere on the Gulf ICW or Atlantic Ocean.  Whether you are headed west or east, you ascend through the locks to Lake Okeechobee, then descend after you leave.  It is the second-largest freshwater lake located wholly in the United States (after Lake Michigan).  The Waterway has five locks and more than 20 bridges, ranging from electric-controlled to hand-operated.  We have made this crossing several times and this one was a "no-brainer".
It seems ironic that we would be spending our final day of The Great Loop on this particular

Sunrise - Caloosahatchee River

Waterway.  Although it is pleasant enough, it just doesn't compare to the many other amazing places and scenery that we have encountered along the way.  On the other hand, maybe it is an appropriate transition to the reality "that all good things must come to an end".
After eight hours we entered the Four Corners where the ICW intersects the St. Lucie River in Stuart, FL.  We were back in familiar territory.  Turning north onto the ICW we had about ten miles to reach the Nettles Island Marina - home port to the White Label.  At 3:20 pm we crossed our wake and had officially completed The Great Loop.

Sunday, November 18

Red sky at night, sailors delight ...... City of Fort Meyers Yacht Basin

Our final day of cruising the Gulf Waters would be a short hop over to the Caloosahatchee River and the beginning of the Okeechobee Waterway.  It was a beautiful South Florida morning and not knowing when we would have the opportunity to return to the Gulf Coast again, we had to have one more beach fix.

South Seas Island Marina - Captiva Island

At the northern tip of Captiva, along Redfish Pass, we hit the jackpot.  It was a beachcombers paradise ........ waves & waves of shells were rolling onto the beach....... fighting couch, whelks, paper figs and cat's eyes.  Although we do not own one, we now understand why all the tourist shops on the island sell shell nets.
By early afternoon we were underway - there was lots of activity on the Waterway.  Many yacht clubs organize flotillas, an easy thing to do in this area as there are many interesting stops to be made in close proximity to each other.  From sailboats to yachts, sportfish to runabouts, it was a great afternoon for boating.
We motored up the Caloosahatchee River about ten miles to the City of Fort Meyers Yacht Basin, located in the heart of downtown.  Although pretty quiet on a Sunday night, we enjoyed a stroll through the nicely restored Fort Meyers Downtown and Waterfront District.  Returning to the boat we noticed a red sky ........ "red sky at night, sailors delight" ....... good thing as we have a long day ahead of us on Monday.

Saturday, November 17

Lovegrove Gallery - Matlacha

Coconut postcards - Lovegrove Gallery - Matlacha

Local color - Bokeelia - Pine Island

Preparing for our Great Loop Cruise, I had read an article about Florida's secret islands, one of them being Matlacha/Pine Island.  We had tried to reach Matlacha by boat on Friday, but had to turn back when in the middle of the marked channel we ran aground with depths dropping to one and a half feet.  Instead we rented a car for the day and drove by land to explore this area.
Matlacha is located on an islet west of Fort Meyers and is connected to the mainland by the "fishingest bridge in the U.S.A." over Matlacha Pass.  It welcomes visitors with creative art galleries and shops, while retaining the simplicity of a quiet fishing village.  In our humble opinion, it did not have much to offer, with the exception of the Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens.  It is a throwback to the Hippie days with artist Leoma Lovegrove's vibrant paintings covering every surface.  We were amused by her coconut postcards (yes, she really will mail them for you) and the totem poles.
We continued on Route 78 to Pine Island, reputed to be a slice of Old Florida - soon discovering that this did not necessarily mean charming.  Instead the route was mostly lined with working orchards, palm tree nuseries, mobile parks and bad housing developments.  The town of Bokeelia at the far northern tip of the island had some points of interest and might appeal to anyone wanting to get away from it all.

Running path - South Seas Island Resort

Returning to South Seas Island Resort mid afternoon we headed for the beach which was alive with activity - sun worshipers, families and lots of shore birds .............. but virtually no shells ......... and this is billed as the best shelling on the Gulf Coast ....
well, not so today!

Friday, November 16

"Welcoming committee" - entering South Seas Island Marina

$50,000 of sign $1 bills on Cabbage Key Inn walls & ceiling

Lunch at Cabbage Key Inn

View from Cabbage Key Inn

Today's cruise of the GIWW was liberally dotted with small islands and protected from the open Gulf by a string of barrier islands.  Many of the small islands are part of the Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge and are closed to all public access to protect the wildlife.
Cayo Costa (translated as "Coastal Key") is a six mile long barrier island that is almost-uninhabited and is accessible only by boat.  Normally we would make a stop at the Cayo Costa State Park which has a great bike path & lovely beach, but the day was overcast & cool - instead, we decided to make a lunch stop at the delightful Cabbage Key Inn.
For years, visiting fisherman passing to and from local tarpon-fishing hot spots have taken rest and refreshment here.  The story goes that to guarantee a cold beer on their return, they started the tradition of posting signed dollar bills on the bar and restaurant walls.  The accumulated currency has piled up dollars deep over every square inch of wall and ceiling space, now adding up to more than $50,000.
Opposite Cayo Costa on the GIWW we past the private island of Useppa.  This lovely, 100 acre island, accessible only by water, has a scattering of cottages and the original 1912 mansion now serves as the clubhouse & restaurant.  We had visited the island in 2005 right after it had taken a direct hit from Hurricane Charley - it was so sad to see the devastation.   Thankfully, it now appears to have fully recovered, and is classy enough to deny us landing rights.

We decided that a great way to be ending this amazing journey would be to spend a couple of nights at the South Seas Island Resort & Marina located on Captiva Island.  Considered one of the finest resorts on Florida's West Coast, it is an elegant and elaborate vacation complex with superb facilities for mariners.  We arrived late afternoon just in time for a quick bike ride into the charming village of Captiva, then returned to the marina to savor a superb dockside dinner at the Harbourside Bar & Grill.        

Thursday, November 15

 Shells found on Palm Island beach

"Florida sailing" - furled sails & under power

Leaving Sarasota Bay and cruising south on the GIWW it became immediately clear that this stretch of the Waterway would basically be a "real estate" tour.  The channel is relatively narrow and the homes lining the shore range from large estates to Florida flats.  There was a lot of "Florida sailing" going on (furled sails with the iron jenny fired up).  Although we had a short forty miles to our destination of Palm Island Resort and Marina in Cape Haze, it took about 2 1/2  hours due to all the go slow areas.

Palm Island beach

This resort & marina are a very popular stop along the GIWW and with good reason.  The marina located on the mainland is small with a nice pool, spa & club area which attracts lots of boating groups - today it was a Sea Ray group.  We looked a little out of place in the marina with our lone Pursuit.
We like this marina because of its proximity to Palm Island, a barrier island with access only by ferry.  The resort and island homes have an "Old Florida" style of architecture and the quiet beach, one of our favorites,
It is still off season and the island was very quiet, we had the beach virtually to ourselves.  After a two hour walk on the beach we left with a considerable collection of shells.

Wednesday, November 14

Rare Black Orchid - Shelby Botanical Gardens

Beautiful orchid - Shelby Botanical Gardens

"Olympic Hopefuls" - Bayfront Island Park

Marina Jack is located in the heart of downtown Sarasota.  The city has gone to great lengths to revive this area and it has paid off.  There is a thriving Art district and the main street is lined with specialty dining and retail establishments.  Along the Gulf is the Bayfront Island Park featuring a popular fitness path lined with sculpture & great views of the water. 
Jeff Nicholas kindly invited Charlie, along with Grover Windsor,  to join him for the Wednesday afternoon E-scow races.  Charlie reported that his skippering in the first race led to a really bad result after he hit the windward mark.  It was followed by a near win in his second attempt at driving.  Jeff was competitive in all four races at the helm.  Getting six good races on Sarasota Bay was a real treat for any Midwest sailor.
I spent a very enjoyable afternoon at the Marie Shelby Botanical Gardens.  It is an estate garden that specializes in studying and conserving tropical plants - mainly epiphytes.  (Plants that grow above ground, supported by another plant or object and deriving its nutrients & water from rain, the air and dust.)  Many rare and beautiful orchids were showcased throughout the tropical displays.

Skipper Charlie on Jeff's e-scow - Sarasota Bay

A big thanks again to Jeff & JoAnn and Grover & Polina for their wonderful hospitality - we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Sarasota!